Henry Holbrook Gould was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island in 1926. In December
of 1943 he was a senior at Woonsocket High School and the captain of the
basketball team. In early 1944, he would turn eighteen and be drafted into
military service. His older brother Warren had joined the Navy two years
earlier and his uncle had been captured on Battan in the Pacific. He entered
the Army March 21st and arrived at Fort Devens, MA on April 1st. At Devens
he learned the basic ropes and regiment of the military He traveled by train
to basic training with the Air Corps at Keesler Field, Mississippi. In a
letter home he noted they received their rifles, a Remington bolt action
9-1/2 lbs. The 03-A3 was a modified Springfield WW-I design used early in
the war before the supply of Garands was plentiful. The 03-A3 was also used
in training. As with other weapons several manufactures would produce weapons
under license to attain the large quantities needed. The Springfield 03-A4
saw use as a scoped sniper rifle. He also noted, in a letter home, that
he had a perfect score on the target range with a pistol and liked the sub
machine gun. Unfortunately, he found the carbine lacking couldnt
hit the side of a barn door with it. He also noted The U.S. Army never
retreats, It advances to the rear. He then
joined the 84th Infantry Division Railsplitters June 5, 1944.

Originally in WW-I the 84th was from Illinois, the Lincoln Division
later the Railsplitters. In WW-II the 84th started out in Texas at Fort
Howze and then moved to Claiborne Louisiana to complete its training. While
many in the 84th were from the west the division filled out its ranks 15,000
of them, with men from all across the US. At Claiborne B Company drilled,
marched, and trained some more. In letters home he mentioned training under
fire when, somehow another GI set off a mine (and this was just training).
They trained at night, in swamps, and with tanks and gliders. Most from
the 84th will tell you of their new rifles in August, because they were
full of grease and needed to be cleaned. In mid August he earned the Expert
Infantry Badge, the forerunner of the Combat Infantry Badge, which is earned
in combat, under fire.

A sample of the stationary
from Kessler Field and Camp Claiborne

Training
in the summer of 1944 in Louisiana, for a New England boy was terribly hot.
He often mentioned the stifling weather, constant heat rash, and monstrous
thundershowers.

On
leave at the end of May. With his father, Robert D. Gould, brother
Charles and Rusty. Uncle Charlie would later serve with the Marines
in Korea.

These
six fellows are from Company L of the 333 Regiment, Third Battalion,
84th Infantry. In front(left to right) are Vince Loguidice
and Greg Tarpinian. Standing, are Howard Hyle, Robert Rachofsky,
Bill Long, and John Guerry.

Here the L Company men are ready
for battle. (Photos courtesy of Dan McCullen)

In the front are Vince Loguidice,
and Bill Chantry. In the rear Dan McCullen, Bill Long, Bill McClain,
and Howard Hyle.True
to the 84ths odds in the early days Robert Rachofsky
was killed in action,John Guerry was wounded, Greg
Tarpinian, Vince Loguidice, Dan McCullen, Bill Long and Howard
Hyle were captured.

INFANTRYMAN

In WW-II the infantry was the
backbone of the army. Eighty percent of the men in the division served as
infantrymen. Military Occupational Specialty (MOS)745, rifleman. As was written in The Men
of Company K, when you look at a battle map with its fronts and salients
and see that arrow indicating the advancement of the unit, at the very point
of that arrow is the infantry man. In 1944, with his rifle and what else
he can carry, he brings the battle to the enemy, much as he did for the
last hundred years.

The
84th traveled by train to Camp Kilmer in New Jersey for final preparation
to sail for Europe. Many Railsplitters were able to see New York City, which
was nearby prior to departing. About the time the 84th was about to sail
the details were secret and the letters home censored.

On
September 20, 1944, the 334th Infantry Regiment was aboard the Thomas Barry
troop ship headed for action. Other elements of the 84th were aboard the
Sterling Castle and E. B. Alexander. Conditions aboard ship were quite crowded
and the food, if you could keep it down, took some getting used to.

The Thomas Barry arrived in South Hampton on October 1st.

Many of the Railsplitters were able to see London during their stay in England.
While London had been bombed heavily the major landmarks survived. London
offered many other special services to soldiers a long way from home.